The Gospel According to Harry Potter
 Connie Neal
 (Reviewer - Kate Holmes)
 2002 Westminster/John Knox Press
 ISBN: 0664226019

Spirituality in the Stories of the World's Most Famous Seeker.

In a book that is sure to delight Harry Potter fans & spiritual seekers alike, Connie Neal embarks on an exploration into J. K. Rowling's created world of magic & mystery & enumerates more than fifty “Potteran” themes that can be seen as glimmers of the Christian Gospel.

Associate Reviewer Kate Holmes writes:

Connie Neal follows up her previous work, What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter with an even more daring look at the young wizard & his world. Express examples are given of the difference between reality & imagination & how the two are related in the Introduction to this well researched book. For instance, the way the shape of a cloud can become a horse in the mind of a child. From there, she logically shows how that horse, given a chariot, can be the basis for some wild tale.

The Harry Potter stories are compared, on a much more sophisticated level of course, to this simple everyday occurrence. In only one of the over fifty examples, the author brings to our attention Harry's first trip to the train station & how finding Platform 9 3/4 seemed an impossibility until he followed the instructions given to him by Mrs. Weasley & took what most people would call a suicidal leap, suddenly finding himself no worse for wear on the invisible platform. Likening this entry into his magical world as to Baptism, Connie Neal's explanation is persuasive, as she uses Scripture to back up her claims.

Although it is unlikely to change the minds & hearts of those rigid authorities who have taken the stand against the Harry Potter stories, this book gives real & substantial evidence in defence of the series.

A Christian & a Harry Potter fan, I was blessed to find this book that so helped me to understand this phenomenon. I would encourage parents to check this out, to investigate before dismissing Hogwart Academy as unsuitable for their children.

Do check out our reviews of J. K. Rowling's books:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
& my editorial Potter Mania
(08/10/03)

Kate Holmes
2003©Kate Holmes
A RebeccasReads.Com Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio
She is a Canadian wife, mother, grandmother, & avid reader. She has hungered for knowledge her whole life which has led her to haunt her local library & used book stores, looking for “old friends.” She has several bookshelves over which presides a print of Amergin, an ancient wizard from Celtic myth.

A welcome addition to her study, Della, her computer (named for its maker), has become a large part of her world. For some time Kate Holmes reviewed for another ezine, & as a means of giving herself a more varied reading experience, has joined RebeccasReads as a Associate Reviewer.